1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drum stand, and more particularly to an improved adjustable drum holder for drum stands provided with grip members that would effectively isolate vibrations of a drum during performance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A drum stand is generally made up of an upright center post, radial arms mounted atop the center post via a conventional clamping mechanism, such as ball-type, gear-type, etc., and three legs connected to the lower end of the center post in a tripod arrangement.
Typically, three or four radial arms used for holding a drum overhead are arranged atop the clamping mechanism with 120 or 90 degrees center angle intervals. However, the existing devices to adjust the length of the radial arms to accommodate drums of various sizes, are complex and cumbersome to operate.
The radial arms are typically provided at their distal ends with elastic covers to isolate vibrations during performance of the drum. However, the current elastic covers of the radial arms of the drum stands are not sufficiently effective in isolating vibrations of the drum.
Therefore, there is a need for a drum stand having easily operable adjustable radial arms and provided with grip members at their distal ends that would effectively isolate vibrations of the drum during performance.
The present invention provides a stand for supporting an instrument, such as drum or the like. The stand of the present invention includes a drum holder assembly having at least three spaced radial arms that may be adjusted to accommodate a variety of sizes of drums with firmness and rigidity, and with ease and convenience, and in a manner such that the drum will not vibrate or bounce when being played.
Each of the radial arms of the drum holder of the present invention includes a support member, and an adjustable sleeve member. The adjustable sleeve member is slidably mounted to a distal end portion of each of the support members for adjusting an effective length of the radial arms in order to accommodate drums of various sizes. Each of the adjustable sleeve members is provided at its distal end with a vibration-isolating member adapted to engage an outer cylindrical surface of the drum and to effectively isolate and isolate vibrations emanating from the drum during performance.
The vibration-isolating member of the present invention has a base portion and a grip portion extending substantially vertically from the base portion. The base portion is fixed to the distal end of each of the adjustable sleeve members. The grip portion of the vibration-isolating member has a hollow portion formed therethrough that deforms when vibrations or other loads are transmitted to the radial arm through the grip member from the drum. Preferably, a plurality of elastic ribs (or corrugations) are formed on an outer surface of the vibration-isolating member engaging the drum to inhibit the drum from slipping when placed on the vibration-isolating member.
The vibration-isolating member is preferably made of a soft elastomeric compound. The combination of a soft elastomeric compound and the hollow portion of the vibration-isolating member significantly improves the performance of musical drums. The vibration-isolating member is also preferably homogeneously formed as a unitary body, thus alleviating the cost of assembling multiple components and simplifying its manufacture.
When vibrations or other loads are transmitted to the vibration-isolating member from the drum, the grip portion deforms and flattens, thereby isolating the load and effectively isolating the drum from the radial arms. Thus, quality of sound of the drum significantly improves.